Chapter 5260: Stand Firm and Wait for Help

Chapter 5260: Stand Firm and Wait for Help
At this moment, Ye Qide even hoped that the Tang army would quickly enter the city, because as long as the Tang army captured Mulu City, he, the prince of the Abbasid Caliphate, would be of use. On the contrary, the Tang army, which had somehow infiltrated the city lord's mansion, would surely kill him before it was about to be destroyed.

Compared to his own survival, what does the fate of the mere city of Mulu matter?
Seeing that Wang Xiaojie intended to hold the position to the death, and that the attack outside the city had likely already begun, the spy whispered, "It is of no use for me to stay here. I will take my leave and go back into hiding to await the next opportunity."

Wang Xiaojie raised his hands in a fist salute and said solemnly, "Then please do as you please, but please be careful. If you retire in the future and return to Chang'an, please come and find me. Let's have a drink together."

His respect for these warriors who hid in enemy camps and faced imminent annihilation was no less than that for soldiers who fought and charged on the battlefield. It was precisely because of the pervasive infiltration of these spies that the Tang army was able to conquer all and win every battle.

If Ye Qide hadn't been so cautious this time, distrusting even Sheikh and surrounded by numerous guards, there would have been no need for his army to descend from the sky to carry out the "decapitation mission." This spy could have easily eliminated Ye Qide with a thunderbolt...

The spy glanced at the young officer in front of him, nodded, and turned away expressionlessly.

Watching him disappear through the doorway, Wang Xiaojie summoned several trusted captains and, taking advantage of the terrain of the residence, devised a defensive strategy. Although the Tang army numbered only a hundred or so, the residence consisted largely of sturdy stone structures, making it highly sturdy and easy to defend. Furthermore, these hundred-odd men were all battle-hardened and formidable fighters; their plate armor, forged from refined iron, was virtually indestructible against the inferior weapons of the Arabs. They carried hundreds of crossbow bolts and over ten thunderbolts, ready to detonate at a critical moment to alleviate the crisis…

It was virtually impossible for the enemy to break down the door and storm in. The only concern was that the enemy might relentlessly use piecemeal tactics to exhaust these hundred-odd men to death.

"Spread the word that the Abbasid prince is in our hands, and anyone who dares to rush in will be sent to collect Ye Qide's body... But the enemy may not care about the prince's life or death, so we will still face a fierce battle. If we cannot withstand it, we will detonate a thunderbolt, but use it sparingly."

"Here!"

More than a hundred soldiers held their ground in the courtyard. Facing the enemy army that might send endless reinforcements, they showed no fear whatsoever. With relaxed expressions, they guarded the walls and gates of the courtyard according to the defense plan, loaded crossbows, and cleaned their weapons, waiting for the enemy to attack.

Wang Xiaojie then went back into the house, lit a candle with a tinderbox, and used the light to survey the room. He found a teapot on the table, and then a can of tea. He opened it, looked at it, and smelled it. It turned out to be top-quality Longjing tea...

I poured out the tea leaves from the teapot, lit the stove to boil a pot of water, brewed a pot of tea for myself, and sat down at the table to sip it slowly.

Bound and gagged, Ye Qide huddled in a corner, watching helplessly as the Tang general leisurely sipped his tea. Ye Qide was increasingly terrified by the Tang general's composure in such dire straits. He had always thought the Arabs were fierce, barbaric, and indifferent to life and death, but now, in his first close encounter with the Tang people, he suddenly realized that his own perceived ferocity was utterly insignificant compared to theirs.

Who said Arabs were barbarians?

The Tang army was clearly more barbaric!

The Tang army, especially on the battlefield, were killing machines...

Not long after, the sounds of fighting broke out outside.

……

Since Yeqid led his army into the city of Merv, Sheikh moved out of the city lord's mansion and into another villa he had purchased in the city. This was partly to show his respect for Yeqid, the Arab prince and commander-in-chief, and partly to avoid conflicts and a falling out with him due to their close proximity.

As the host envoy of the Abbasid Caliphate responsible for guarding the city of Mulu, Xiehe had no need to obey or flatter Yeqide like a servant, regardless of his official position, title, or the power of his family.

Especially after disagreements arose regarding the forced requisition of grain, fodder, and weapons from the city, Sheikh increasingly felt that Yeqid was an incompetent fool, and the more he interacted with him, the more disdainful he became.

However, since the other party was, after all, a prince of the Abbasid Caliphate, a subject should always maintain a certain level of respect. Therefore, Xiehe simply moved out of the city lord's mansion to avoid seeing him and wait for the snow to melt and the roads to be clear after spring, when he would politely send the prince out of the city and everything would be fine.

To minimize the risk of conflict between the two sides, Sheikh even completely withdrew the guards from the city lord's mansion, entrusting all defense matters to Ye Qide's personal guards...

However, when he was woken up from his sleep in the middle of the night by his subordinates, who told him that enemy troops had infiltrated the city and launched a surprise attack on the city lord's mansion, and about the incredibly clear explosion in the dead of night, Xie He regretted more than ever that he had failed to leave his troops at the city lord's mansion.

Ignoring the complaints of the voluptuous Persian beauty nestled in the bed, Sheikh first ordered the city's troops to immediately assemble and rush to the city lord's mansion. After the messenger left, he quickly dressed, left his bedroom, and, with the help of his personal guards, donned armor, picked up a scimitar, stepped out of the room, leaped onto his warhorse, and sped towards the city lord's mansion.

Inside the city lord's mansion, everything was in disarray, yet an eerie calm prevailed. Hundreds of Ye Qide's personal guards surrounded the courtyard to one side of the main hall, torches illuminating the snow, but no attack was launched...

What is the current situation?

Sheikh, carrying a scimitar, stood a few dozen steps outside the courtyard and asked in a deep voice, his footsteps crunching through the snow.

A guard captain stepped forward, his face pale and his expression anxious: "Reporting to the city lord, the enemy came from nowhere and suddenly rushed into the inner quarters, captured the prince, and declared that we were not allowed to attack, or they would kill us."

"waste!"

Sheikh flew into a rage, turning his scimitar sideways and striking the other man's helmet hard with the blade, shouting, "Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? As the prince's personal guards, how could you allow the prince to fall into enemy hands before he was even dead? You all deserve to die!"

The leader was hit hard, shook his head, and his anger rose. "You're just a city lord, how dare you tell me what to do with a prince's personal guard?"

“My lord, it is not that we are unwilling to fight to the death, but that this enemy army seems to have descended from the sky. All the troops in the city rushed into the city lord’s mansion without giving any warning. Moreover, the people in the city lord’s mansion pointed out the residence where the prince was staying overnight, which is why we were caught off guard.”

Sheikh was taken aback, and when he met the other party's almost fiery gaze, he suddenly felt a little guilty.

Ultimately, he was the city lord of Mulu City, and the city's defenses were all within his jurisdiction. A Tang army unit had infiltrated the city undetected and stormed the city lord's mansion, so he was inescapably responsible no matter what.

Not to mention, there were also people from the city lord's mansion guiding the enemy troops and pointing out where Ye Qide was staying...

If Ye Qide were to make any mistake, his personal guards would surely suffer. Not only would he be beheaded and publicly displayed to receive the ultimate punishment, but his entire family would also be buried with the prince.

But if most of the blame is now placed on the Sheikh, the responsibility on the guards will be much less, and perhaps the Caliph, in his mercy, might spare the guards' families from death...

But in doing so, the Sheikh would inevitably die.

"Bastard!"

Xie He roared, pointing the tip of his scimitar at the other man's nose: "Is my army the only one in this Mulu City? Perhaps this Tang army has been hiding among your troops, infiltrating the city and then launching a surprise attack on the city lord's mansion under cover of darkness and heavy snow! What's worse, some of you may have colluded with the Tang people, causing the prince to be in danger! Now you're turning the tables and calling a deer a horse, your intentions are truly sinister!"

The chieftain was furious, but he swallowed his words and muttered, "This is not the time to assign blame. May I ask, Lord City Lord, how do we plan to rescue the prince?"

Sheikh was also in a difficult position upon hearing this.

After a moment's hesitation, his eyes gleamed, and he gritted his teeth: "Charge in and rescue the prince!"

Those around them were greatly alarmed and tried to dissuade him.

"If we rush in like this, wouldn't we be forcing the enemy to kill the prince?"

"Absolutely not! His Highness's safety must come first!"

"Sheikh, do you intend to kill the prince?"

Sheikh, extremely annoyed, shouted, "Shut up, all of you!"

He pointed into the courtyard and shouted, "The Tang people have already captured the prince. Now he's trapped and can't escape. He's just a cornered beast fighting for his life. They will not spare the prince's life no matter what! Are we just going to stand by and watch the Tang people hold the prince hostage and do nothing? When they want food and water, will we give them to them? When they want to leave the city, will we let them?"

Everyone shut their mouths. Everyone understood that what Sheikh said made sense. Even if they didn't charge in now, they would have no choice but to do so sooner or later.

As for the prince's fate... it's already decided.

Unless this Tang army can suddenly sprout wings and fly away like a divine warrior descending from the sky...

But how is that possible?

Sheikh waved his hand and said, "If you dare not attack, then retreat to the side and let my men handle it!"

The guards looked at each other, then had no choice but to step aside and watch as Sheikh's troops charged forward and launched an attack on the mansion.

Just as the soldiers leaped over the wall and rushed into the gate, they were met with a hail of arrows. The Tang army's powerful crossbow bolts could almost ignore the armor of the Abbasid army, and dozens of soldiers fell from the wall with screams of pain after being hit by multiple arrows.

Sheikh gritted his teeth: "Regardless of casualties, charge in!"

It's just a mere hundred or so enemy soldiers. Even if they have a defensive advantage, better weapons and equipment, and higher-quality soldiers... I'll just have to use my own lives to fill the gaps!

Driven by Sheikh, the Abbasid army launched a relentless assault on the small courtyard, and soon a thick layer of corpses piled up inside and outside the walls. Although the Tang army was strong, it was outnumbered and retreated step by step in the face of the Abbasid army's relentless attacks, which disregarded casualties. The Abbasid army gradually occupied the area around the walls and retreated to the vicinity of the houses.

Just as the Arab army, their morale high, surged through the courtyard gate, a lit thunderbolt fell into the crowd and exploded with a deafening roar.

Countless shrapnel flew in all directions, and the Arabs fell like wheat being harvested.

The Arabs, devastated by this attack, turned pale and retreated hastily, allowing the Tang army to retake their advantageous positions.

Xie He was furious and was about to order a continued attack when a general came running up and loudly reported before he even got close: "The Tang army has infiltrated the city and captured the north gate!"

Sheikh was horrified.